#riykas/zenith

[haledamage]

WIP Whenever

I wasn't tagged by anyone this time around, I'm just using this as an excuse to share this snippet that I'm really proud of :3

Zenith had no illusions about her, or about what she was. Riykas was soft, in her voice and her smile and in the way she interacted with the world, but she was soft the way starlight was soft. Because she stayed distant enough that people forgot the fire she actually contained. Her power was diffused and diminished until no one could see how bright she burned. It wasn’t that he was scared she didn’t feel the same way about him as he did about her. What he feared was that her light would be dimmed if he stood too close, eclipsed by his darkness. What he feared was that he would touch her and be set alight.

[haledamage]

finish your fics friday saturday

tagged by @queen-scribbles 💖 leaving my IFs out of this, but even so hoooooboy, I half so many half-finished fics right now lmao

rules: send an ask with one of the listed WIPs, I'll add five sentences and ramble about it a bit. :3

hope you like Etain, because she's featured in a lot of these :3

4 NWN2 Etain/Casavir: one pre-relationship, one in the gray area between pre-relationship and when they actually confess feelings, one somewhere after they get together, one post-Mask of the Betrayer reunion/epilogue, all of them prompt fills

PfWotR Etain apotheosis, with a side of Etain/Vikkari

Riykas/Zenith in "if swtor won't do it I'll have to do it myself"

2 Marii/Tragen AU that were supposed to be for OC Kiss Week, but both decided to take place too early for smooches so I set them aside for now XD one during the Yavin stuff, the other their reunion in KotFE

Kira/Adam snowed-in-as-an-excuse-to-cuddle fic, but it's still in very early stages of making the premise plausible ;)

I swear there were a couple more, but I can't find them at the moment...

who's working on something at the moment? you're tagged if you are! 💖

[haledamage]

marcid for whoever you want

I've had this prompt for ages, but it finally decided to be a Riykas/Zenith fic 😁

mild spoilers for Chapter 3 of the Consular story (early Corellia and events directly before it), Zenith POV, featuring the most reluctant pining I've ever written in my life

18. marcid - incredibly exhausted

---

Zenith finished inspecting the safehouse they’d been given on Corellia, making mental note of every exit (only two, and both under constant guard) and anything that might resemble a listening device or breach in security (also two, one of which was destroyed and the other was Tai Cordan’s open comm, which he begrudgingly allowed to stay). As satisfied as he could be under the circumstances, he returned to the slapdash AIC they’d set up in what was probably meant to be a living room.

It was mostly empty, their collection of commandos and companions having dispersed to regroup and rest. Only Riykas was left, standing at a console in the middle of a conversation with Holiday. She stood as tall and still as a statue, projecting cool serenity to anyone who saw her--or at least, anyone who didn’t know how to see past it.

Zenith could see the slight droop of her shoulders, weighed down by the combination of exhaustion and responsibility. The way she wrung her hands behind her back, the only sign of nervousness she allowed to show. She was starting to crack under the strain of having to be the perfect Jedi, and the pressure of leading an army was only making it worse.

“I’ll have this fixed up in no time!” Holiday announced cheerfully, then added in a flatter tone, “Restoration in progress.”

“Thank you, Holiday,” Riykas said, giving the hologram a grateful nod. She didn’t reply, merely disappeared. If Zenith had to guess, they were working on restoring the data that Iresso had saved from the Javelin’s destruction.

As soon as the hologram was gone, Riykas slumped forward, pressing her hands against the edge of the console and leaning on it heavily. She took a deep breath and let it out in a slow, weary sigh. It looked like one of her mediation techniques; he’d never seen her struggle with them like this before.

He couldn’t tell if she didn’t know he was there, or just felt comfortable enough with him to let him witness this rare moment of weakness. Both options made him uneasy in very different ways.

“Jedi,” he called, just to make sure she was aware of him. When she didn’t reply, he tried again. “Riykas.”

Still no answer. He crossed the room, making sure not to try to do so silently, and put a hand on her bowed back.

She didn’t startle at his touch, but she did inhale sharply like she was coming out of a deep trance. After a few seconds, she stood up straight and turned to him. The smile she gave him was warm, if a bit tired around the edges. “Zenith. Hello. I apologize, I must have been lost in thought. I didn’t hear you come in.”

There had been a time, before they met, when he thought Jedi weren’t allowed to lie, that they were incapable of it. He knew the truth now. He’d seen her stand eye-to-veil with senators and moffs and master spies and feed them total fiction in that soft, sweet voice of hers.

Still, it hurt a little to see her try it on him.

“You need to rest.” His voice came out gentler than he intended, a plea rather than an order. “I can keep watch while Holiday works.”

Her smile grew wider. “Thank you, but I’m fine.”

“Are you?” He fit every ounce of disbelief he could into those two words. She may be able to fool her army of politicians, but they didn’t know her like he did. "Haven’t seen you sleep since the Javelin."

Riykas tilted her head in contemplation. “I wasn’t aware you were watching me that closely.” It was amazing how a woman with no eyes had the ability to see right through him like she did.

“I am,” he said bluntly. There was no use trying to hide it, and he had no desire to anyway. “Told me to stay vigilant. Means keeping an eye on you too.”

Zenith didn’t know when he’d stopped watching her out of suspicion and paranoia and when his vigilance started coming from a place of concern for her safety. It didn’t really matter when or why it had happened, or even how he felt about it. It was just how things were.

And if it made him feel a little steadier knowing she was looking out for him too, well. That was no one’s business but his own.

“Iresso needs time to recover,” he continued, to drive the point home. She was clearly at least considering listening to him, if she hadn’t started disagreeing with him yet. “Take a night to do the same. I’ll keep your people safe.”

She settled a hand on his bicep, touch so light he could barely feel it. “And when will you take a break?”

“Don’t need one. You do.”

For a few minutes, neither of them said anything, a silent battle of wills, seeing which of them was the more stubborn. Zenith was, at least in this, and he knew it. Riykas would waste herself away to nothing for the sake of everyone else; his purpose was to keep her from doing so.

The fight left her all at once. Her knees almost buckled without it, the strain of the last week pressing down on her. His hand on her waist was the only thing that kept her upright.

“Fine,” she conceded, “I suppose I could… take a nap. Since you insist.”

“All I ask.” As soon as her footing was steady, he let his hand drop to his side again. “Thank you, Rika.”

She lit up at the use of her nickname, her smile brighter and kinder than this dingy little hovel deserved. It made it difficult to look at her, and harder to look away. “Wake me if something interesting happens?”

He nodded. “Promise.”

He managed to buy her three hours. He spent them in the AIC, leaned against the wall so he could see both the front door and the console. He was left more or less alone the whole time.

It was almost… peaceful. If he ignored the war happening right outside the walls.

The console activated, Holiday appearing and bathing the room in cool blue light. “Heya, Z,” she greeted, “I should’ve known I’d find you here. Where’s Rika?”

“Sleeping.” The hologram frowned, her worry so obvious that Zenith unconsciously reached for his rifle. “What is it?”

“I finished decrypting the data, and…” she shifted from one foot to the other, wringing her hands nervously, “I have something she needs to see.”

“More bad news?” It wasn’t really a question, no matter how much he tried to make it one.

She nodded, uncharacteristically solemn. “I know she needs her beauty sleep, but we should probably wake her up for this.”

“I'll do it.” As if there was any doubt.

It was easy to figure out which room she was in. Only two had closed doors, and the one with Voss healers outside it was obviously Iresso’s. He let himself in after she didn’t answer his knock.

Riykas was sprawled across the tiny bed, stripped down to only the inner layer of her dress, long hair loose and pooled around her head like spilled ink. Her skirt and blankets were tangled around her legs in a way that said she’d been tossing and turning in her sleep.

She was beautiful. The thought came to him unbidden and unprovoked, slipping through an opening in his guard that he hadn’t noticed to settle in behind his ribs. He did his best to seal it away with the rest before it could put down roots.

Once again, she didn’t answer when he called her name, so he crossed the room and knelt next to the bed. Her hand shot out with unnatural speed and grabbed his wrist as he reached out to touch her shoulder. She looked far too soft and delicate to be so strong; it was his own fault for getting distracted and forgetting what she was capable of.

“It's me.”

“Zenith,” she breathed, relaxing back into the bed in visible relief. Her grip loosened immediately, but she didn’t pull away entirely. A whiff of ozone and sudden warmth where her hand wrapped around his wrist healed any bruises before they could form. “I'm sorry.”

“Don't be.” Zenith used her lingering hold on his arm to help her sit up; she followed him without argument. So trusting. “Holiday has something. Says it's important.”

She swore under her breath, muttering a few words he knew she hadn't learned at the Jedi Academy as she held out a hand. Her boots moved across the room to her and she hurried to put them on. She didn’t bother with the rest of it.

They almost ran into Nadia at the door, her hand still raised to knock.

She recovered quickly. “Rika. Uh, Master, I mean. You look like you’re feeling better.” She looked pointedly at Riykas’ state of undress, then at Zenith standing right behind her. She raised her eyebrows at them, a teasing smile growing on her face like she couldn’t hold it back. “Hey, Z. I hope you’re taking good care of her.”

“Always do.” He refused to acknowledge what she was insinuating. It was harder to resist looking at Riykas to see how she reacted.

“Nadia.” Somehow the word managed to sound both amused and gently scolding. “Now’s not the time.”

“Later, then.” She linked her arm through her master’s and pulled her forward. He followed them in silence. “C’mon. Whatever Holiday found, it must be pretty serious. She’s got Master Satele on the call for it too.”

Zenith could see the exact moment Rika became the Barsen’thor again, wrapping it around herself like another veil. Her shoulders straightened, ready for whatever new burden was about to be set upon them. He stayed close at her side, ready to steady her if she stumbled under the weight of it.

She smiled at him, warm and grateful and far too understanding, and the thing behind his ribs took root.

[haledamage]

Prompt: “I didn't mean it like that.”

Riykas/Zenith, very pre-relationship, during JC Story Act 2. Sometimes you just get blindsided by a ship and have no choice but to write it down 😅

---

It had been a long day, but a successful one, though Riykas wouldn’t be sad to say goodbye to Quesh. She and her companions made their way onto the ship, movements slowed by exhaustion. She took a moment to look each of them over in turn as they moved past her and up the stairs. 

Nadia was in high spirits, her excitement at being able to help infectious even to those who couldn’t hear the trill of it in the Force. Qyzen was still in the middle of his shko-yagu, and the pain he radiated seemed to be from that rather than from any external injury. Theran had already forgotten about the rest of them, mumbling equations to himself as his attention returned to whatever project he was currently working on. Zenith carried himself stiffly, which wasn’t altogether unusual when around large groups of people, but he held his left arm tightly against his side. Every time he moved it sent a sour note of pain through his aura. 

He was injured and trying to hide it. From her, from the others, or from the Rift Alliance? Maybe it was just habit for him now.

She touched his uninjured arm lightly before he could get too far. “You’re hurt,” she said, quietly enough that it wouldn’t carry to anyone else, though they were the only ones left at the airlock door now. “Will you let me help you?”

He studied what he could see of her face, looking for any sign of duplicity, then gave a short nod. “Fine,” he said reluctantly. “But not here. Your quarters?”

“Sure. If that’ll make you more comfortable.” The rumor mill was going to have a field day with that. Even though they were functionally alone, nothing stayed secret on this ship for long. Not with so many politicians, and especially not with Holiday.

If that thought bothered Zenith, or even occurred to him, he didn’t show it. He just led the way through the ship towards her quarters.

He scanned the room, looking for enemies or anywhere they might hide, sharp eyes searching every shadowed corner and alcove as if they might contain Imperials. Only when he was satisfied that the room held nothing more than a bed, a dresser, and a pile of cushions for meditation did he step aside to let her in, following closely behind.

Zenith didn’t so much drop his guard when the door closed as deliberately set it down. He kept it within arms reach in case he needed it, but it was still the closest to relaxed Riykas had ever seen him.

In an attempt to extend him the same courtesy, she took off her veil, leaving herself only with the slender mask she wore to cover the empty space a human's eyes would be. She ran a hand over her now-exposed hair, tidying up her braid reflexively while she waited for him to feel enough at ease in the unfamiliar surroundings that he wouldn't flinch when she approached.

Her caution was thrown to the wind when he unlatched the seals on his patchwork armor and started trying to remove his chestplate one-handed. “You don't need to take your armor off,” she assured him in a rush, holding up her hands as if that would stop him. “You just need to let me touch you.”

He paused, but his disbelief was obvious. "How can you heal it if you can't see it?" 

“With the Force?” Riykas thought that much was obvious, considering… well, considering literally everything about her, really.

He gave her the least impressed look she'd ever seen in her life and went back to carefully removing his armor. With a sigh she couldn’t quite stifle, she reached out to help him. She didn’t know much about how armor worked, but it shouldn’t be that hard to figure out, right?

As she reached to unclasp the vambrace from his left arm, another shrill spike of pain lit the Force around him, though it never showed on his face. She finished removing it more carefully. “I think your arm is broken, Zenith.”

“Just fractured,” he said matter-of-factly, like it wasn’t a big deal. “It’s the ribs that are broken.”

Riykas didn’t bother to suppress her worried frown. “How long have you been hiding this?”

“Wasn’t hiding. It wasn’t serious, so it could wait.” With her help, he peeled off the top of his under-armor bodysuit, letting it hang loose over his belt and leaving his upper body bare. “I’ve had worse.”

“I can see that.” His torso was covered in scars, clearly visible even in her limited Sight. Proof of a life hard lived, and of his continued survival despite the Empire’s attempts to change that. And they’d come very close to doing so on more than one occasion, she noticed, frown growing deeper as she brushed her fingers over what looked to be an old blaster bolt scar below his clavicle. It must have barely missed his heart.

He pushed her hand away with more force than she expected. “Don’t need your pity, Jedi.”

“It isn’t pity, it’s compassion.” He clearly considered them to be the same thing, but the distinction mattered to her. Still, she knew better than to push the subject. “Do you have any other injuries I should know about?”

“Bruises. Mild burns.” He shrugged, unconcerned. “Nothing to worry about.”

“Let me be the judge of that.” He didn’t argue, and she took that for permission to continue.

Riykas let silence fall, knowing it was Zenith’s preferred state of being, and concentrated on her work. She drew on the Force, using it to search for places that lit up with injury. He had a frighteningly high tolerance for pain; even his ribs were only a dull twinge in his aura until he moved wrong. It was going to make this… complicated.

She started with his wrist, gently willing the crack in the bone to mend under her fingers. Then moved on to a burn on the end of one of his lekku, followed by a bruise on his bicep. How had this happened? She thought of herself as a fairly observant woman, and was disappointed in herself that he’d gotten so hurt without her noticing. She would watch him more closely from now on.

“I’ve been watching you,” he said suddenly, as if he'd heard what she was just thinking.

“You have?” she asked carefully. She’d heard that line before, on more than one occasion. Usually from Theran when he wanted something from her. She wouldn’t have expected it from Zenith.

“I didn’t mean it like that.” It was a lie, or at least not a whole truth. Riykas could feel it behind his words, like a brief, too-sharp note. “Do all Jedi fight like you?”

“Oh.” Right. Of course. It made sense that someone so accustomed to war would have noticed how out of her depths she was in battle. “No. I’m not a knight, combat wasn’t a focus of my training.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

She shook her head and said lightly, “As you say, the battlefield is the best teacher.”

“Guess it is.” She could feel his eyes on her as she pressed her hand to his side, knitting his broken ribs back together and mending the bruised and broken skin above them. “It's beautiful. The way you fight. Like you're dancing. Never seen anything like it.”

Heat rose in her face, and there was no doubt he could see it with how closely he was studying her. “You flatter me.” At least her voice was steady, showing none of her inner turmoil.

“Not trying to flatter. I'm trying to pay you a compliment.” Riykas had always considered them to be the same thing, but Zenith clearly didn’t. “I'm out of practice.”

“Thank you,” she mumbled, unsure how else to respond. She missed her veil and how easy it was to hide her face under it.

“They don't teach you how to take a compliment at Jedi school?” There was a surprising amount of amusement in his voice.

“No, they really don't. And I don't think anyone's ever given me one before. Not a real one, at least.” The final injury that required her attention was a shallow cut on his cheek; it disappeared with a swipe of her thumb. “There, good as new.”

His gaze lingered on her hands as she pulled away, aura bright with a strange mix of relief and disappointment. “Thank you. I mean it.”

Riykas mustered a small, shy smile. “Anytime.”

It was much easier to put his armor back on than it had been to take it off, and it was only a matter of minutes before he was all put back together. Zenith picked up his rifle last, clipping it onto his back, and as he did his mental shields dropped back in place too. “Should go debrief Grell. Don’t want him to come looking for us.”

“I imagine Nadia’s already told him everything,” she mused as she slipped her veil back on, taking a few extra moments to tuck her braid underneath it, “but you’re right. He should hear it from us too.”

Zenith checked that the hallway was safe before stepping aside to let Riykas lead the way.

[haledamage]

Qora: 3, 4, 13, 34, 40 Rika: 2, 12, 33, 39 then 24 and 46 for both of them and also Ves bc I'm *really* curious :3

Qora:

3. What would be their favorite physical trait about themselves?

She likes her eyes. They’re dark gray (or they would be, if the CC permitted it) and very expressive. Arcann compares them to storm clouds and she loves that

Also, her arms. Her right arm is cybernetic below the elbow (due to a childhood accident), but the rest of them--her biceps and left forearm and hand--are sexy, and she knows it.

4. What are their favorite traits about their lover? (one psychological and one physical)

Oh, she could write you a book about all the things she loves about Arcann. But if she had to pick:

Physically, her favorite thing is the size of him. Arcann’s the same height as her, but he’s broad and muscular and strong and she just adores it. She’s very vocal in her appreciation.

Psychologically, her favorite parts of him are the parts that persisted despite Valkorion’s attempts to destroy them. Most of all, his sense of humor. It’s quiet and subtle and manages to sneak up on her every time.

13. What are your character’s sleeping habits? Heavy or light sleeper? Blanket stealer? One that always rolls onto the floor? Pushes their lover onto the floor? Sleep talker or walker?

Qora is a very light sleeper - she wasn’t always, but the Sith Academy is a dangerous place and a sleeping acolyte is an easy target. Besides that, she probably has the healthiest sleep habits of any of my OCs 😅 she goes to bed at a reasonable hour and wakes up easily and well-rested, unless she has a nightmare.

She has a lot of nightmares. Some of them are hers and some are Arcann’s and some of them are shared by both of them.

24. In their own words, how would your character describe what their lover is like?

Arcann is… I think I was taken with him from the moment we met. Despite the circumstances. (she laughs quietly to herself) There’s just something��� magnetic about him. Something impossible to ignore that draws me to him. He’s changed a lot since then, but that part hasn’t changed. He’s a very deliberate man, I think that would be the best way to describe him. He acts with purpose, and with conviction, and with sincerity, in everything he does. Be that conquering a galaxy or saving it. I don’t believe in fate, but… he makes me second-guess that. What else could this be?

34. Does your character have favorite foods? (breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snacks, etc)

Mushrooms! She’ll eat pretty much anything with mushrooms. Especially stuffed portabellas. Also raspberries and very dark chocolate - together, separately, prepared any which way.

40. Does your OC have any guilty pleasures they enjoy? Hobbies, past times, music, etc that they wouldn’t want known by others?

She feels guilty about how much she loves to fight. She is never more comfortable than when she has a weapon in her hand and a challenging opponent. She doesn’t like killing, but the thrill of looking someone in the eye and knowing they’re going to try to kill her… (she should probably find a healthier way to be an adrenaline junkie, but I think we’re well past that)

That’s really the only thing she finds pleasure in that she’s guilty about, but one thing she enjoys that she doesn’t want others to know is that she loves being lazy. She could lounge in bed all day. Not sleeping, not even reading or watching a vid, just existing with no expectations of her. Nothing like it in the galaxy.

46. What is some random affectionate thing that your character always does to their lover?

She can’t keep her hands off of him. Even before they’re romantically involved, even when they’re enemies, she’s very physical with him. Specifically, she likes to touch his face, one hand on each cheek. She uses it as a greeting, as a goodbye, as a way to comfort him, whenever she kisses him, all the time. She also only ever does it with him, and starts it long before any feelings are admitted, so some of the more observant folks in the Alliance are like 👀👀

--

Rika:

2. What is one of your character’s biggest insecurities? Are they able to hide it easily or can others easily exploit this weakness?

She’s very insecure about her skill as a leader. She’s very young to be a Jedi Master (not Qora-child-soldier-young, but still barely in her 20s when she’s given the rank), and then with the Rift Alliance and later the Alliance… she worries she’s too inexperienced and naïve to make the right decisions. That someone more worldly should have been put in charge.

She hides it well from most of her enemies, but she definitely expressed some of her doubts to her beloved mentor, Master Syo, and the First Son was quick to exploit them.

12. Is there some particular talent, skill, or attribute that they simply could not give up?

The most obvious answer is her connection to the Force. Besides the fact that she uses it to see, it’s such an automatic reflex to reach for it that if it were gone, she’d have to relearn how to do pretty much everything.

24. In their own words, how would your character describe what their lover is like?

Jedi aren’t supposed to love, but... Zenith has a talent for getting places he isn’t supposed to be. He’s not always a nice man, but he’s a good man. In a roundabout way. He cares about his people and will do anything for them. He believes in me completely and helps me believe in myself. I cannot imagine my life without him in it, and what we have now… it’s more than I ever could have imagined.

33. If your character wanted to be alone, where would they go?

Usually, she just goes to her room. She spends very little time there, all things considered, and her people leave her alone unless it's an emergency or she's specifically invited them

39. When people look at your character, is there some assumption they might make about them just by appearance? Is that assumption correct?

So. Many. People. Assume that just because she prefers a peaceful solution that means she won’t destroy them if it comes down to it. She looks very gentle and unassuming (and she is, very much so, most of the time) but if you push her, she will bring your whole world down around you and not lose any sleep over it.

46. What is some random affectionate thing that your character always does to their lover?

She heals him. She heals everyone, granted, but with the others, a hand on the shoulder and a few moments of concentration are all she needs to do unless it’s an emergency. With Zenith, it’s almost a ritual. I’ve written a fic about how that started, but it becomes a Thing with them, after missions or whenever they have downtime to get some privacy. There’s an intimacy in allowing yourself to be that vulnerable with someone, one that neither of them have ever had with anyone else. The rest of the crew probably thinks they’re sleeping together lmao

Ves:

24. In their own words, how would your character describe what their lover is like?

What is there to say? The only good thing Harron Tavus ever did for me was introduce me to Aric Jorgan. He’s my partner. He’s loyal, but not blindly, and honest, but not brutally so, both compassionate and uncompromising. He owns up to his mistakes and recognizes his strengths, and he is damn good at what he does. He brings out the best in me and makes me want to do better. He’s the only thing that makes sense in this messed up galaxy.

46. What is some random affectionate thing that your character always does to their lover?

Forehead touch! It started as a way to show affection when one/both of them are wearing helmets or when they’re in too dangerous of a place to let their guard down enough for a hug or kiss, but now they do it all the time.

[haledamage]

tagged by @queen-scribbles​ 😁🥰 yes, this is more Rika/Zenith. no, I’m not sorry

“First time we met, I almost shot you.”

“No you didn’t.” She somehow managed not to make the statement sound condescending, just a calm affirmation of fact. If any blaster bolt made it within half a meter of her, it’s because she let it.

He laughed quietly. “Wanted to. Knew you would be trouble.” His thumb traced the edge of her jaw, feather-light but lacking any of his earlier hesitation. “Wasn’t wrong. Turns out I like trouble.”

“Lucky me.”

It was hard to think with her so close, but nothing in the galaxy could possibly make him move away. Not after everything it took for him to get there. “You sure about this?”

“Zenith.” Her hand settled on his chest; it made him feel calmer, nervous energy chased away at the careful touch. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so sure of anything.”

He didn’t know how to respond to that. He’d never been any good with words. He was a man of action.

So he acted.

[haledamage]

10, 30 and 50 from the Get to Know My Character Asks please! For whichever still to be developed SWTOR baby best fits.

I decided to do these with Riykas, Qora, and Siro because it sounded like fun 😁💖

10. Is your character more feminine or masculine?

Riykas is definitely very feminine, dresses and lace and jewelry and “girly” colors, the whole nine yards.

Qora presents more masculine. Short hair, ripped jeans, boots, hoodies (or the GFFA-equivalents thereof). Some of it is because she’s goth af, and some is because she likes to dress practically, but also she just feels more comfortable in a more masculine/androgynous style.

Siro doesn’t care about gender presentation so much as Cool Factor. She will rock a killer ballgown or a three-piece suit and know she looks amazing in both. Most of the time, she just wears a crop top and jeans while she lounges around on her ship.

30. When it comes to the arts (music, film, theater, etc), what does your character like?

Riykas likes new-age, trance, chill electro-pop stuff. Delerium is a perfect real-world example, and maybe also some PVRIS and CHVRCHES.

Qora and Siro both got their taste in music from their dad, so they listen to a lot of the same stuff. I think they’d both be into Dad Rock - the classic stuff like Metallica and Creedence Clearwater Revival and Fleetwood Mac, but also the Millennial Dad Rock like Green Day and Foo Fighters.

50. If your character confessed love to their crush, boyfriend, girlfriend, etc, what would they say?

I skipped Qora for this one because really the in-game “Seeing you happy is enough for me. I care about you, Arcann.” is SO in character for her that I can’t imagine it going any other way.

But Siro’s relationship never really had any “confessions” so much as just a lot of open mutual attraction that eventually led to a relationship, and Rika’s relationship isn’t canon it’s canon in my heart so it was really fun figuring this out for them :3

Riykas would need to make a dramatic declaration because neither of them will ever say anything about it casually. “Zenith, there’s something I need to tell you. I should have told you a long time ago, but I waited too long and I lost you. I don’t want to miss my chance this time. I…” and then words fail her, so she gives up and just plants one on him, full on Big Damn Kiss.

The first time Siro says “I love you” to Lana, it just slips out. Either they’re in a fight and Lana does cool Sith stuff and saves her life, or something little like Lana making her caf in the morning, and she just looks at her and the words come spilling out. I can’t decide which scenario I like better. Either way, she says it a few more times immediately, just to be sure.

[haledamage]

the nerve of Bioware to give this man the absolute sexiest introduction in history and then not make him a romance option

[haledamage]

on the one hand, I wish they could’ve at least mentioned Zenith here

but on the other hand, I enjoy the idea that Rika didn’t mention him because, while the others probably could’ve made themselves hard to track down, Z definitely did, and she knows him well enough to know there’s no way in hell Choza would’ve found him if he didn’t want to be found this is my justification for why his reunion took so long okay

[haledamage]

About the Character: Riykas

― your muse’s name: Riykas Chana

― one favorite picture / faceclaim of your muse:

― two headcanons you have for your muse:

Her companions call her Rika. It’s not much different from her full name, but just different enough that it feels special to her. I think it starts with Nadia pretty much immediately after the Rift Alliance moves onto the ship, it’s got that kind of casually irreverent friendliness that makes sense for her. Theran and Holiday are the first to pick it up, but the rest of them start doing it eventually too (Qyzen is the last to come around). I think Koth and Vette would be the first ones in the Alliance to pick up the nickname.

Her favorite color is yellow, in theory. She can’t actually see color through Force Sight, but when she was a padawan one of the other kids described colors to her, through metaphors and music comparisons mostly, and she’s always liked the idea of yellow.

― three things that your muse likes doing in their free time:

Meditation. Sounds obvious, but she genuinely enjoys it. It’s a way to relax and unwind as well as a way to stretch her Force muscles, so to speak. She has stacks of little river rocks and crystal spheres in her quarters that she’ll float around. Sometimes she’ll mix it up and do yoga or the Jedi equivalent of tai chi.

Puzzles. Jigsaws, puzzle boxes, word puzzles, logic puzzles, any of them.

Sewing. She makes and repairs all her own clothes, and sometimes likes to knit, crochet, and embroider too. She picks fabrics based on texture, though she also asks people she trusts for their opinions on colors.

― seven people your muse loves/likes:

Yuon Par

Zenith

Nadia Grell

Vette

Aric Jorgan

Arcann Tirall

Senya Tirall

(it was surprisingly hard to pick only seven)

― a phobia your muse has:

Being cut off from the Force. Not just because it would leave her literally blind, but it is so much a part of who she is that she isn’t sure how much of her would be left if it was gone. (She may have watched holocrons at a too young age that talked about the Exile and what happened to her, and sometimes that’s all it takes for a fear to take root.)

[haledamage]

I managed to get Riykas through KOTFE before LOTS dropped 😁 it’s farther than I expected to get with the time I gave myself for it, honestly. I’m looking forward to enjoying the update vicariously through all of you until I get there

I also only have the Dark Temple left for Qora before she gets her ship and is finally free of the gloom! I can see the light at the end of the dreary gray tunnel

[haledamage]

having MANY thoughts about the scene right before Rishi, and Zenith just sitting on the sofa watching Rika and Nadia meditating

is he there to protect them? is it just curiosity? is this his way of socializing, by sitting quietly in a room together?

also turns out Riykas loves pretending to be a cannibal pirate captain on Rishi 😂 and since she had a lot of fun pretending to be a Sith Lord on Nar Shaddaa as well, my girl clearly missed her calling as an actor

[haledamage]

Riykas may not be able to see colors, but I can, so I decided to put together a new pretty outfit for her 💜 also Zenith is there. it felt rude to cut half of him out of the picture 😅

[haledamage]

my daughter likes to “play Star Wars” with me, which pretty much means sitting in my lap while I play swtor and spamming the space bar to make my character jump

but the thing is, she hates it when I change companions. I have to pick one and stick with them or she complains about it. and Riykas is in Chapter 7 of KOTFE now

so imagine, if you will, my 6 year old, pointing accusingly at Senya Tirall and going “who is that? where’s Zenith? 😠”

[haledamage]

Well, Riykas has latched onto Zenith pretty hard right out of the gate, so I think I'm going to have to accept that she's my first multiship swtor oc (or romance Arcann with someone else, I guess. We'll see if they turn Zenith into a full romance in February or if all we get is that one reunion flirt). 

Either way, she clearly wins the "man who has known nothing but pain and war meets the gentlest soul in the galaxy, can't help but fall in love with her" romance

Of course that also means that, of my 4 swtor ocs currently developed enough to write fic about, 3 of them fall in love with snipers (not to mention both my Jedi falling for good ol' Troy) Me? Have a type? Never 😂

[haledamage]

World Building Whenever - Riykas

tagged by @queen-scribbles and you know I had to talk about Rika again 😊 I think I did this with Ves/Marii/Kade a few years back, gotta have the complete collection!

B A S I C S

• Full name: Riykas (RYE-kiss) Chana  • Gender:  Female  • Sexuality:  demiromantic/demisexual, I’m pretty sure • Pronouns: She/her

O T H E R S

• Family: Nadia Grell, former padawan (YES SHE COUNTS) • Birthplace: Coruscant • Job: Barsen’thor of the Jedi Order, Jedi Master, Alliance Commander • Phobias: being cut off from the Force, losing or missing out on something because she was too patient, being left behind or forgotten, touching Bad Textures • Guilty pleasures: Fighting, especially opportunities to go crazy with her (extremely powerful) Force abilities; sometimes a girl just wants to rip a dreadnought out of orbit or crush a dozen skytroopers with her mind. Extremely complex competitive strategy games (she and Theran, and later she and Lana, have an ongoing game of something like 5D Chess). Dropping the Aloof Jedi facade and letting herself be silly; having an impromptu snowball fight with her companions was especially memorable (Zenith took it way too seriously and Tharan complained about the cold the whole time, but it was still fun. Felix won.)

M O R A L S

• Morality alignment: At the beginning of the story, Lawful Good. By the time she wakes up out of carbonite, Chaotic Good. It’s a gradual descent into chaos, but she’s aware of it the whole time.  • Sins: lust/greed/gluttony/sloth/pride/envy/wrath • Virtues: chastity/charity/diligence/humility/kindness/patience/justice

T H I S - O R - T H A T

• Introverted/extrovert • Organized/disorganized • Close-minded/open-minded • Calm/anxious • Disagreeable/agreeable (can go either way tbh. She doesn’t argue for the sake of arguing, but she doesn’t just go along with things she disagrees with either, and will argue until she’s blue in the face for things she believes in) • Cautious/reckless • Patient/impatient • Outspoken/reserved (she’s the personification of that one Patrick Rothfuss line: “There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”)  • Leader/follower • Empathetic/unempathetic (too much so, sometimes) • Optimistic/pessimistic.  • Traditional/modern (both? neither? She’s a pretty even balance between the two) • Hard-working/lazy

R E L A T I O N S H I P S

• otp: Riykas/Zenith. I AM MANIFESTING THIS. They are opposites in so many ways, and they help each other grow as they learn to meet somewhere in the middle. It takes them a long time to get there, but they’re nothing if not patient. • ot3: none • brotp: Riykas & Nadia. I think Nadia is, in a lot of ways, the reason Rika opened herself up to love, in any form. Nadia was full on “we’re best friends now” from the moment she stepped onto the ship. She always treated Rika as a person first and a Jedi a distant second, and that helped her see herself as more than just her Destiny. Also, Riykas & Arcann. Zenith may have stolen her heart before Arcann could get there (it’s okay, my SW has already called dibs lmao), but they still have an undeniable connection. He’s a hurricane and she’s the calm at the eye of the storm, except when they’re the other way around. • notp: I don’t think I have one? except the usual suspects

and I’m gonna tag... @rannadylin​ 💖 it’s been too long since I last asked you about your lovely babies